Web

Like their counterparts in the real world, computer criminals are always looking for vulnerabilities they can exploit. Instead of an open window or unattended wallet, malware purveyors watch for holes in software that allow them to install their spying and stealing payloads onto the computers of unsuspecting users.

As the most recent Volume 14 of the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report indicates, browsers have become the favorite target of computer crooks. In the last quarter of 2012, JavaScript and HTML were the most likely source of computer infections, according to statistics gleaned by the company from its Malicious Software Removal Tool.… Read more

I may need a tab manager manager before it's all said and done. After trying out Chrome extensions TabMemFree, OneTab, and TabJuggler, along comes Tabs Outliner. What I like about Tabs Outliner is the orderly, hierarchical structure it lends to your tabs in Chrome. It shows your open tabs, letting you jump from one to the next, but even more useful it keeps track of tabs you have closed, which provides a trail of your Internet wanderings without hogging system resources by leaving the tabs open for prolonged periods.

Tabs Outliner installs a button to the right of Chrome'… Read more

Technology doesn't just complicate our lives, it also does a number on our deaths.

Imagine the challenge of accounting for all of your digital assets once you've shuffled off to Buffalo. Even if you consider your e-mail, text messages, and social-media posts disposable, you've probably stored photos, videos, and very personal documents on one or more Web services. You probably want to bequeath some or all of these items to family and friends.

If you run an online business, ensuring a smooth transition in the event of your demise becomes even more important. To ease the burden … Read more

Google Keep may be a great Android app, but it's less useful on the desktop because Google has yet to integrate the note-taking service into Google Drive. Sure, you could bookmark your Google Keep page or keep a tab open for it, but neither solution feels right. For my own purposes, if a note-taking app isn't easy to access and use, I will continue on my merry way of jotting down notes on sticky notes and various scrap pieces of paper. With the Google Keep Extension for Chrome, the note-taking service is always within reach on the desktop.… Read more

Odds are you are quite set in your Internet-surfing ways. If you are up for trying out a new way to browse the Web -- or at least some portion of it -- give Nextly a try. It's a free Web service that provides a slick and fast way to access popular sites across a variety of topics.

Nextly lets you browse various Web sites as well as your Twitter and Facebook feeds -- or "streams," in Nextly's parlance. You can quickly jump from one article or post in a stream to the next; Nextly preloads … Read more

Fighting spam is a constant cat-and-mouse game and one every e-mail provider faces. I receive my fair share of spam e-mail on my iCloud e-mail account, and for the longest time have just deleted them without opening, figuring it would eventually stop.

Then last week while on Twitter, I saw the following Tweet:

Pro tip:1. Select spam message2. Message => Forward As Attachment3. Send to spam@me.com4. Do a dance

I had no idea this method even existed. Unfortunately, forwarding an e-mail as an attachment isn't possible on an iOS device. … Read more

Canary is a developer and beta version of Google Chrome's newest features. By allowing both versions of Chrome to run side-by-side, you can test out the newest features without sacrificing your stable version.

If you're using the most recent version of Canary, there's a new experimental feature that lets you view the offline cached versions of Web pages. Not sure if you have the most recent build? Easy fix. Just click the Settings icon in the top-right-hand corner, then choose About Google Chrome. Your browser will check for updates and apply any available.

So let's get … Read more

Facebook has redesigned user profiles many times over, but the latest version offers the most control (so far) to the actual user. The main difference between the new version and the old version is that all updates and events will display on the right-hand side of the page. Information about you -- along with the samples of friends and photos -- will display on the left side. Unlike the last design, which looked similar to a game of ping-pong happening on your Timeline, this revamp lets you focus on reading updates from friends.

Now for the most useful new feature: … Read more

The abundance of unused white space on the New Tab page in Chrome lends developers ample options for sprucing it up. While the extension I'm about to suggest isn't anything groundbreaking, it's definitely one of the better options out there in terms of usefulness.

Literally called "New Tab Page," this Chrome extension makes your New Tab useful and attractive but doesn't gain any creativity points for its name. Installing the extension is quick: just head to the entry for New Tab Page on the Chrome Web Store and click Add to Chrome. … Read more